Two Minutes for Interference by FigSk8ingAngel
by Just a Kiss Contest
Summary: ENTRY FOR THE JUST A KISS CONTEST: Can Hockey Paul win over Figure Skating Bella? Or will he have to show her what she wants?


**Just a Kiss Contest**

**Story Title: Two Minutes for Interference**

**Penname: FigSk8ingAngel**

**Summary: ****Can Hockey Paul win over Figure Skating Bella? Or will he have to show her what she wants?**

**Word Count: 5575**

**To view other entries, please visit: ****.net/u/2922402/Just_a_Kiss_Contest**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Wish I did!**

"**Two Minutes for Interference"**

In the world of figure skating, there's really only one rule:

Never date a hockey player.

And when I say date, I mean don't even get close to them. Don't look at them, don't think they're cute, don't fall for their charm, and definitely don't mess around with them. In the end, doing any of this will only get you hurt.

It should have been an easy rule to follow; after all, every good figure skater knew that their male counterparts were nothing but man whores in jerseys. But in the end, like any rule, this one was made to be broken.

I'd broken it more than once, and each time, I came out even more heartbroken. The first time was with my brother Emmett's best friend and teammate Edward. Together on the ice, they made the best defensive team the Forks Lion's had ever seen. It was no surprise that my bother also held the top penalty minutes in the state. He'd always been a bit of a bad boy both on _and_ off the ice.

Edward, in contrast – was sweet, the perfect gentleman. It helped that he was almost two years my senior. All the other girls were jealous. _I_ had the older guy. Then I found out he was seeing another girl on the side. When we ended it, he told me he didn't think we ever made it an exclusive relationship. I blamed myself. I was young and dumb, and I learned my lesson. I swore things would change after that.

Then I met Jacob Black. Jake wasn't like all the other hockey boys I knew. He was genuine. He knew my past, and he swore he would never do what Edward did to me. The thing I loved about Jake was that he understood me better than anyone else I knew. He was my best friend _and _my boyfriend. He knew that skating needed to come first in my life, and he didn't mind taking a back seat to it. I did the same for him. After all, you can't hold the top goalie record in the state without hard work and dedication.

Jake wasn't all work and no play though. He had a wild side, and as his girlfriend, I saw it a lot. Jake was the first to teach me that it was okay to let your inhibitions go and just live for awhile. With him, I shared my first real kiss, attended my first party, snuck out of the house for the first time, and broke pretty much every rule I had ever made for myself in regards to dating. It was fun. But the fun could only last so long. I still had my limits, and the night Jake decided to try to cross the line was the night it all came crashing down.

It was a typical Friday night. The guys had won their game, and we were celebrating with a party at Jared's house. Jake had a little too much to drink and dragged me into a back bedroom to make out. I noticed right away something was off; his kisses were more aggressive, and he was being more forceful than usual. It became apparent that Jake wanted to take things further when he tried to take my clothes off. I wasn't ready, so I pulled back and placed my hands over his to stop him.

"Jake… stop, baby. I'm not ready for this."

Jake continued to kiss my neck, pretending he hadn't heard me.

I used a little more urgency the second time. "Jake… I said stop!"

Jake lifted his eyes to meet mine and began to get up. I thought it was over. Then, with a sudden force that I wasn't expecting, Jake pinned me to the bed.

"You can't deny you want this, Bells Just give in." He leaned in and began to kiss me again.

I pushed my hands against his chest, but he was too strong for me. I tried to plead with him one more time.

"Jake, _no_!" I yelled pushing, against him harder.

Suddenly, Jake's weight was gone, and I heard the sound of his body crashing into a wall. I jumped up and ran for the door. A warm hand caught my shoulder as I fled.

"Hey! Are you okay?" a deep voice asked.

I turned to see the captain of Jake's team standing behind me.

"Fine… I… I… think," I managed to stutter out.

The rage in his eyes was apparent as he turned back to where Jake was lying on the floor.

"Go home," he commanded without looking back at me. I obeyed without an argument.

The next day, Jake showed up to practice with a black eye, a busted lip, and a broken nose. Apparently, my savior had beaten Jake within an inch of his life for what he did. Jake tried to apologize, but the damage had been done. After that, I swore I would _never _trust another hockey player again.

Little did I know, I still had a weakness. My savoir from that horrible night was soon to become my Achille's heal.

After the incident, I began to throw all I had into my skating. For some reason, the harder I skated, the more the pain seemed to disappear. As a result, I got good, fast, and in what seemed like the blink of an eye, I was set to compete in the next Junior National Championship. And that's when things changed.

My coach wanted me to start doing early morning practices since that was the best time to skate with the least amount of people on the ice. In fact, most mornings, I had the ice to myself. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, directly after my ice time, the La Push Werewolves had their practice. At first, my plan was to avoid them, but it was nearly impossible since they always started stretching fifteen minutes before their practice, and I wasn't willing to sacrifice my precious ice time for any of them.

There were two things I noticed almost immediately. First, Jake wasn't on the team any more. Second, I was sure that decision had something to do with the player that I constantly found staring at me as I skated around the rink. That player was Paul Lahote. The distinct Captain's "C" on his jersey gave him away. After the incident with Jake, I had looked up his name on the player's roster. I figured I should at least know my savior's name.

The strange thing was, Paul's staring didn't make me uncomfortable like it should have. In fact, it had the opposite effect on me. I liked the attention. I could feel the moment his eyes were on me, and no matter how much I tried to resist it, I couldn't help but meet his stare. The moment our eyes met, a smile would spread across his face, and I would melt. Before long, I knew I was headed down the road to trouble. I was falling for him, and the worst part was, some part of me knew, he was falling for me too.

The minute I realized what was happening, I put my walls up. The pain from Jake was still fresh in my heart, and I wasn't willing to let anything like that happen ever again. Paul wasn't making it easy for me though. The more I tried to avoid him, the more he did to get my attention.

The worst was the morning he showed up thirty minutes before the rest of his team and decided he wanted to do a few warm up laps. I didn't even notice he was on the ice until it was too late.

"Hey there, Ice Angel, mind if I join you?"

The familiar sound of his voice startled me, and I tripped over my toe-pick. My arms flew out in front of me, and my eyes closed in preparation of hitting the ice. But instead of the hard, cold surface I was expecting, I found myself surrounded by strong, warm arms.

"Toe-pick!" Paul's whisper in my ear sent shivers down my spine.

I quickly tried to right myself and, in the process, ended up almost falling over the other direction. Paul's arms were the only things that kept me from ending up on my ass.

Paul started laughing. "And here I thought figure skaters were supposed to be graceful."

I shot him my best attempt at a glare and struggled once again to right myself. Once I was steady on my feet, he let go. I missed the warmth of his embrace as soon as it was gone. I looked up to see Paul giving me one of his irresistible smiles. It took every ounce of self-control I had to keep a clear head.

"What exactly do you think you're doing out here? This is _my_ ice time!" I was trying to sound mad, but judging from the look he was giving me, I was pretty sure it didn't come out right.

Paul threw his arms up in defense. "Hey now, Angel, I thought we could share. I won't get in your way… promise!" I was pretty sure I saw him wink at the end.

"Look… I don't know who you think you are, but I have Nationals in three weeks. I don't have time to be messing around and worrying about if I'm going to turn around and hit somebody in the middle of my program."

Paul laughed. "That's the last thing you need to worry about… I know your whole program by heart."

I had started to skate away, but that stopped me dead in my tracks. I slowly turned back towards Paul.

"Are you admitting to watching me skate?"

A smirk crossed his face, and he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm admitting to watching a lot more than that." His eyes raked over my body from head to toe. "And I have to say, I like what I see."

A deep blush spread across my cheeks, turning even the tips of my ears red. Paul used the opportunity of my moment of shock to skate closer to me. He stopped mere inches from where I stood.

"So, what do you say, beautiful? Can we share?" My heart pounded in my chest as he reached up and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. His fingers ghosted across my cheek as he brought his hand back to his side. I didn't think I could answer him even if I tried.

"I'll take that as a yes." The smile that spread across his face only further caused me to melt.

Neither of us moved. Paul slowly brought his hands up to rest on my shoulders then slid them behind my neck. Chills ran down my spine. I looked up and saw the desire burning in his eyes. Before I could stop him, he started to lean in towards me. My breath was coming short and fast. My mind screamed at me to stop him, but my body reacted as if it was a magnet, drawn to him. Our lips were centimeters apart; I could taste his sweet breath.

At the last second, I came to my senses. I quickly looked down causing his lips to meet my forehead instead of my mouth. I placed my hands on his chest and quickly pushed away. He moved away without a fight.

"I'm sorry… I can't do this. The ice is yours." I turned and skated quickly towards the door. Before I reached the edge, I heard him call out.

"Paul!"

I turned back towards him. "What?"

"My name's Paul. I'm pretty sure you already know that, but I felt like I should formally introduce myself. And what's yours?" The way he cocked his head to the side and raised one eyebrow told me he already knew the answer.

"Not interested… sorry." I turned away and exited the ice.

I was already halfway to the locker room when I heard him again.

"Well then, since you won't tell me your name, I guess I'll just stick with Angel. It;s fitting, after all. And just so you know… I don't give up that easy. See you around, Angel!"

Once safely in the locker room, I sat down and put my head in my hands. The heat from where Paul's lips had touched my skin still lingered. There was only one thing I was sure of. I _had _to avoid Paul at all costs. I knew if I didn't, I was going to fall for him. Hard.

For the next few weeks, I tried to keep my focus on Nationals and off Paul. I did my best to steer clear of him all together. I was _off_ the ice before he arrived for practice and made sure to stay hidden in the locker room until he was _on_ the ice. The few times we did cross paths, I avoided eye contact and didn't say a word to him, but it didn't help.

My heart still skipped a beat when I heard his voice. I found myself staring at him as I left the rink. Not to mention, that day on the ice was permanently burned into the back of my mind. No matter how hard I tried to deny it, the truth was, I wanted Paul. And that fact scared the crap out of me.

By the week before Nationals, I was going crazy. The good news was that because of all my effort to keep my mind _away_ from Paul, my skating was the best it had ever been. Even my coach noticed a change; then she told me not to lose whatever sparked it… not exactly what I had wanted to hear seeing I was trying to do exactly that.

As the week went on and the competition got closer, I needed to stay on the ice for as long as possible. Every minute of practice mattered now. Unfortunately, that meant I was doomed to run into Paul, and he knew it.

Wednesday, when I was getting off the ice, he was waiting.

"Hey, Angel! Haven't seen you around lately. You wouldn't be ignoring me would you?" He stepped out of the players' bench and blocked my exit. I suddenly felt cornered and tried to skate around him.

He must have noticed my nervous behavior because he quickly side-stepped to get out of my way as I passed, causing my arm to brush up against his. Even that small amount of contact sent my heart racing. I gasped and flipped around, my eyes meeting his.

"You should say excuse me when you do that, you know. It's common courtesy," I snapped overdramatically before turning and skating off the ice.

"Whatever, Angel, I know you liked it!" Paul laughed from behind me.

Suddenly, all I could hear was the sound of someone skating very quickly towards me. Before I could turn to see who it was, I was almost knocked over as a pair arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me to their body.

"And I'll bet you like this too," Paul whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

"And this." My eyes rolled back in my head as Paul placed a trail of small, open mouthed kisses down my neck, stopping just above my shoulder.

I let out an involuntary moan and heard Paul snicker in response.

"That's what I thought. You can't deny that you want this, Angel. Just give in."

Memories of Jake pinning me to the bed and saying the same thing flooded my mind, and just like that I snapped. I turned in Paul's arms and shoved hard against his chest, breaking free from his arms. I knew my face showed my fears based on the way Paul was now staring at me. He looked horrified

"Oh. shit! Angel, wait, I'm so sorry…" Paul reached out to grab my arm.

"Don't touch me!" I snapped, backing away. "I already said I can't do this; I meant it. Just leave me alone, Paul." I quickly turned and left before the tears could start falling.

On Friday, I deliberately changed my practice session to an earlier time to avoid any chance of running into Paul again. I knew he hadn't meant to hurt me, but the memories brought back all the pain from the night with Jake. It wasn't something I was willing to go through ever again — even if I had fallen head over heels for him.

But Paul outsmarted me. I never saw him, but the letter left in my skating bag was all the evidence I needed to know that he had been there. I opened and read it quickly.

_Angel,_

_First off, I need to apologize for Wednesday. I crossed the line, and I shouldn't have pushed you. The last thing I ever wanted to do is hurt you, and I'm still kicking myself for what happened. _

_That said, I'm not letting you go. I see it in your eyes…you want this too. You just need to _TRUST _me... I'm not Jake I won't do you wrong! _

_I'm giving you space to think it over… but if you take too long, I won't hesitate to _SHOW_ you that we can be good together. That's not an idle threat…you know I take action when I need to. _

_Good luck this weekend…you know I'll be watching, silently cheering you on as always…_

_Paul_

I reread the last line three times to make sure I read it correctly. He would be _watching_… meaning Paul would be at my competition. I guessed that also meant my deadline to decide what I wanted was this weekend.

My emotions were running wild, and I didn't think I could keep my head clear even if I wanted to. I skipped my second practice session later that morning and headed to the coffee shop to try to figure things out.

I placed my usual order and pulled my wallet out to pay but was stopped by a familiar voice.

"I got this one, Angel."

My jaw dropped, and I whipped around to make sure I wasn't hearing things. Sure enough, there, only about a foot behind me, stood Paul in all of his glory. He was wearing a white wife-beater and jeans and smelled and looked like he just showered, which was probably a fact since he had just finished his practice. I suddenly felt dizzy, and my heart rate skyrocketed. I didn't understand how he had this power over me!

I took a few breaths and tried to compose myself.

"Is this what you call giving me space?"

A smirk crossed Paul's face.

"So you got my letter, I take it?"

"That doesn't answer my question, Paul! Did you follow me here?" I knew I was being defensive, but I needed time to think, and this wasn't helping.

Paul grabbed my shoulders and pushed me away from the register. I was about to yell at him, but then realized I had been holding up the line. He was just moving me out of the way.

A smile a mile wide spread across his face. "Would it flatter you if I had?"

I glared as hard as possible. "Paul…."

"Fine… No, I didn't. Is it _my_ fault you come to the same coffee shop I do? Plus in my defense, you should be on the ice. Playing hookey today?"

The glare stayed plastered on my face. "I needed some time to rest before competition."

Paul laughed. "Whatever you say, Angel. I know you were too busy thinking about me."

His arm brushed up against mine as he reached past me to grab the coffee cups, and I immediately got goose-bumps.

"I think this is yours. White chocolate mocha, huh? Guess I'll have to remember that."

I grabbed the coffee cup from his hand and allowed my fingers to stay on his for just a moment too long. My heart raced.

"Thanks, I'll take it to go… and _don't_ follow me!" I turned and headed for the door. Just before I reached it, Paul called out to me.

"Just remember, Angel… I won't wait forever. If you're having trouble making up your mind, I'd be happy to help influence your decision."

"Sure thing, Paul… but you already know my answer. Same as it always is; no."

As I turned and walked out the door, his voice was so soft that I couldn't be sure if he meant me to hear him or not, but I heard every word, and even worse, I liked what he said.

"We'll see how you feel after I wear you down."

I turned and ran for the safety of my car. Once I got there, I sat in the seat with my head in my hands. I had a decision to make. Either I went with what I _knew_ I was feeling and let my guard down or I ran as fast and as far away from Paul Lahote as I could, because that was the _only_ way to escape. Paul had made his agenda loud and clear; as far as he was concerned I was already his.

The next day was a blur. I tried my hardest to focus on my upcoming competition, but images of Paul kept invading my mind, and I'd lose concentration almost immediately. I was getting frustrated, so I finally gave in. I sat down and thought about him, or really, about us, hoping that I'd be able to move on afterword.

I knew what my heart was telling me. I _wanted_ him. No one else had ever made me feel the way he did. Not just in the physical sense either; although the heart racing butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling I got from being around him was wonderful, there was an emotional side to it too. When I closed my eyes, I could see us together.

But my past experiences still haunted me. I wanted to trust Paul, but it was hard to just drop my guard and believe it was all going to be all right. Paul may have said he wasn't Jake, but there was no way for him to prove that to me. Not unless I was willing to put my heart on the line, and that's where things made a full circle.

No matter what approach I took, I always ended up at the same spot. I was stuck with no real way out.

By the end of the day, I was both physically and mentally exhausted and still hadn't come to a real solution to my Paul problem.

My dreams didn't help. Images so vivid that they seemed like reality passed through my mind. I could feel his breath on my skin, I could see his smile as if he stood before me, and I could hear his words as he whispered them to me. I woke up the next day feeling flustered and even more confused.

I knew if I didn't shake it off fast, it was going to affect the way I skated that afternoon. The problem was it was hard to shake it off when I had the knowledge that _he_ would be watching and waiting for an answer that I didn't have.

When I got to the rink for the Short Program, my nerves kicked into high gear. I jumped when I heard a voice that could be his. I did double takes of any guy with the right height or body type. I was on edge.

The nerves continued to build, and by the time I took the ice that evening, I could hardly concentrate. My coach knew something was up the second I stepped on the ice. She tried to talk me though it during my warm up, but not even she could break through the haze. I was officially a mess.

During the other skater's programs, I scanned the audience, looking for Paul, but I didn't see him. I started to wonder if it was all just a cruel joke to get me worked up. This made me feel a little more comfortable, and I started to relaxed a little. Then, as my name was called, I spotted him. He was standing against the boards, holding flowers, and looking as irresistible as ever.

My eyes met his, and I saw him mouth a quick, "Good luck, Angel!" My stomach tightened, and just like that, the nerves came rushing back.

I quickly looked away and tried to pull it together, but as the music started, I knew I was in trouble. I fell apart almost immediately, falling on my first jump and two-footing my second. The rest of the program was shaky, but thankfully, those were the only major mistakes.

As I sat in the Kiss and Cry awaiting my score, I felt horrible. I couldn't believe I'd let a _guy _affect me so much. This was my one chance to be great at something, and I blew it! Then one of the flower girls handed me a bouquet. I knew without even looking at the tag it was the one from Paul, but my heart still leapt in my chest, and I felt butterflies in my stomach when I spotted his name. I didn't know what was wrong with me. How was it possible for me to be mad at him and still want him so much? It was driving me crazy!

I stuck around in the competitor's area for as long as I could after I skated. The first reason was to watch the other skaters, and the second was to avoid Paul. The good news was that at the end of the Short Program, even with my mistakes, I was in fifth place, with only five points separating me from first. That meant as long as I skated a perfect Long Program that night, I still had a chance to place. But in order to do that, I needed to have a clear head, and in that moment one thing still separated me having that; his name was Paul. I wasn't going to let what happened that afternoon happen again. I made my decision. As soon as I was changed, I was going to hunt him down and end this once and for all.

I headed back to the locker room to stash my stuff, felling more determined and confident than I had all day. Surprisingly, no one else was around, so I decided there was no harm in changing right there. I quickly pulled my warm up pants off and was just about to start pulling off my dress when I heard the door open. Without looking to see who it was I grabbed my bag to head for the bathroom.

"Don't stop on my account, Angel. I don't mind one bit."

At the sound of _his _voice, I flipped around faster than I thought was humanly possible.

"What the _hell_ are you doing in here? This is the _girls'_ locker room, and for that matter how did you even get down here? This is a restricted area!" It was amazing to me how I could be pissed at him while my body still desired him. My heart was already beating faster.

"Easy there, Angel! Don't want you to hurt yourself." His calm demeanor only frustrated me further.

"Answer the question, Paul. And then _get out_!" I pointed to the door with my finger for emphasis.

"I have my ways" He pulled a credentials badge out from behind his back "And no, I won't _get out_ until you've answered _my_ question." His grin spread further across his face as he stepped towards me.

"What question?" I stepped back and found myself backed against the wall.

"You know what question…you ready to admit you want me, or do you need help?" Paul stepped closer still and raised his arms, placing them on either side of my shoulders.

My heart raced and I could feel my palms sweating. His close proximity was doing things to me I didn't believe possible.

"I… I... No… the answer… is still… no…" I barely managed to stutter.

Paul laughed and leaned closer to me. "You don't sound so sure about that, Angel. Bet I could make you change your mind."

I closed my eyes as his lips met my cheek, setting fire to my face. I let out a sigh as his lips traveled from my cheek to my jaw-line then down my neck.

"Change your mind yet?" Paul whispered in my ear.

"Yes…. I mean no!" I shook my head in attempt to clear it.

"Just let go… I know you want to" Paul whispered again.

My body tensed his words, memories of Jake flooding my mind, and my hands instinctively went to Paul's chest, ready to push him away. He sensed the change almost immediately.

"Shit!" I heard him mutter under his breath before pulling back to look me in the eyes.

"I'm sorry, Angel…. please don't run." He brought one hand down from the wall and grasped both of mine in his one.

"I shouldn't have said that. I know that's what Jake told you… and if I had the chance, I'd beat him again for what he did to you. But I need you to know that I'm not him. I won't hurt you." He brought his other hand down to brush a stray piece of hair away from my face before retuning it to the wall. "All I'm asking for is a chance. Let me show you that you can trust me."

I saw the passion in his eyes, and I finally broke.

"Okay…"

Paul smiled and brought my hands up to his lips, kissing them both softly then placing them back at my sides. His eyes met mine, and he slowly leaned towards me. When his lips were inches away from mine, he stopped. His breath was hot on my lips.

"I'm going to kiss you now… is that okay?"

All I could do was nod. My breathing became sporadic, and my heart felt like it could leap out of my chest. I closed my eyes and tilted my head slightly, letting Paul know I was ready.

Paul closed the gap, and seconds later, his lips touched mine. Fire burned between us and all my walls came tumbling down. I wanted more; I wanted _him._

I brought my hands up to his chest again, but this time, I didn't push away.

"Don't stop," I whispered against his lips.

I heard Paul let out a small chuckle before bringing one arm to my waist and pulling me to him.

His kisses became more urgent, and I let out groan when I felt his tongue slide across my lips, begging for entrance.

My arms slid around his neck and played with the small amount of hair at the nape of his neck. I parted my lips and allowed his tongue to dance with mine. I had never tasted anything sweeter.

"Mmm, you taste so good, Angel." Paul's words mirrored my thoughts, and his arms pulled me tighter to him, pressing me flush me against his body.

I smiled against his lips and pulled him back to my own wanting nothing other than to taste more of him.

I slowly slid my arms down his back, allowing my fingers to lightly press into it. Paul's moan let me know he liked it.

I was getting dizzy from lack of air, but I didn't want to be the one to pull away. Paul's kisses were intoxicating, and the feeling of his body against mine was more than I could handle.

Finally, Paul pulled back, both of us gasping for air. He grinned down at me as his hand slid up and down my bare arm, sending shivers down my spine.

"So… you still going to say no?"

I brought my hand up and smacked him in the side of his head lightly. "What do you think, Paul?"

"I knew I could win you over, Angel. Just took a little convincing…with my lips."

"I guess so," I laughed, "Now… will you kindly move so I can go change? I need to eat and get back before the Long Program."

Paul smirked. "You can just eat me."

I rolled my eyes and brought my hand up to smack him again.

"Okay, okay!" Paul stepped away to let me by. "Just hurry back… I don't want to have to come in there after you."

This time, I did smack him.

"Ow! What's with the smacking?" Paul rubbed the side of his head where I had just hit him. I knew he was just playing that it hurt, but it made me feel a little bad for doing it.

"I have to keep you in line somehow, right?" I smiled over my shoulder as I entered the bathroom.

"I guess so." Paul laughed.

That night, I skated the best Long Program I ever had. It was perfect in every way. When my coach asked me what had changed, all I could do was smile and meet Paul's eyes where he sat in the audience. I ended up taking third, which was not bad for my first National Championship. Amazingly, I wasn't disappointed at all. I got something better: the beginning of a relationship with a hockey player I trusted.


End file.
